Did ABC Stall A Mass Exodus On "The Bachelorette" Last Night?

ABC has hyped this season of "The Bachelorette" hard, and last
night's episode was the first one that lived up to the publicity
in terms of drama.

We'll spare you the details, but the basics are: Ashley
Hebert confessed to her eight remaining suitors that she
had fallen in love with a departed contestant, Bentley
Williams, who famously
played her behind her back.

The men were genuinely pissed -- and immediately, several of them
began discussing leaving the show.

Two were particularly vehement -- and one of them, Mickey
McLean, did indeed walk out for good.

The other, Blake Julian, seemed to regain his
cool over the course of the night -- then was sent home by Ashley
(as he likely hoped he would be).

The episode's drama pointed to a franchise flaw that's becoming
increasingly problematic for ABC: how do you keep contestants on
the show if they're not interested in the subject?

It's no big deal if one guy isn't feeling it and wants to go home
-- it's a bigger concern if no one wants to stick around,
especially as the show builds to its climax.

Contestants have
claimed to be detained against their will by producers before
-- but no one's made too big of a fuss. Yet.

Another wrinkle is "Bachelor Pad," the spinoff that dumps scores
of franchise alums into a house (and hot tub) together. If a
contestant isn't wild about their "Bachelor" season's prize, they
can always look forward to exploring more options -- and getting
paid for it -- on that show.

Oh, look! Julian just announced
that he will indeed be moving on to that show.